Retributions
by Maria - Madoka Ayukawa
Summary: Yukimura doesn't like to be in debt with anybody. Not even his boyfriend. Yanagi/Yukimura yaoi, ONESHOT!


Title: **"Retributions"**  
Rating: PG-13 at most.  
Characters/Pairings: Yanagi/Yukimura. Allusions to Sanada, Sanada's grandpa, Yanagi's sister and Yagyuu.  
Disclaimer: Not mine. Konomi's.  
Warnings: Nothing except some shonen-ai and a kiss in the end.  
Summary: "You just gave me something beautiful, I'll give you something equally pleasing in return."

---

Renji carefully dips the brush in the ink container, half-closed eyes fixed on the bristles. They slowly turn black as the dark liquid is absorbed into them, so soon it's time to take the brush out and clean it up a bit in the border, as to not let any unwanted drops fall down and ruin the canvas he'll be using.

Yukimura observes this in amusement, sitting next to his friend. His own eyes are fixed on the other young man's hands; they're pale, graceful, and remind him slightly of the artist stereotype he had heard Renji's older sister occasionally talk about. It's said that those with artistic talent usually have very long fingers, rectangular palms, and some very slight fine lines etched on them along with the calluses coming from the hard, focused, constant tennis training.

"Seiichi?"

Yukimura's attention goes from the other man's hands to his face. Renji looks at him in the eye now...

"Did I distract you?," he asks. Yukimura doesn't sound apologetic as he speaks; he knows beforehand that, no matter how discreet and stealthy he was in his observations, Renji would be one step ahead and be aware of how closely he was staring at him.

"You didn't." Just as he thought. "I do wonder if you want something, though."

Yukimura smiles. "Not really. I was purely admiring your work. It seems Sanada and his grandfather have taught you well."

Renji nods quietly. "The final results will tell you how well-taught I've been┘"

Recognizing the subtle request to let him finish what he is doing, Yukimura stays silent and just watches quietly as the other man does his work. One by one, in perfect and smooth order, the strokes are drawn on the hanshi paper sheet, as parts of the kanji that soon form a whole name.

Yukimura's smile grows a bit more when Renji is finally done and he can fully appreciate his elegant, clean handwriting.

"Excellent work on writing my name like this, Renji," he tells his companion. "Even when Sanada would say we cheated, because I brought you an ink bottle so you wouldn't have to manually produce the ink..."

"It was on your request, so I could hardly say no." Renji chuckles at that. "It's still a good result, I think. The ink you brought is quite high-quality, so it certainly helps."

"Now, we only have to wait until it's properly dry and I can take your work home with me. It will look good in a kakemono roll..."

As he speaks, though, Yukimura thinks it's not fair to only be in the receiving end of Renji's attention. Not only he cannot be less than Renji, but he wants to be in the giving end as well...

With a small sigh, Yukimura looks through the window. His eyes are now fixed on the flowers in the Yanagi's garden, and he comes up with an idea. He has brought a small ikebana kit, purchased in a store not too far from the house as he was making his way there, and this seemed a good moment to use it.

"Seiichi?," Renji asks. Yukimura stands up from his seat, having taken a decision on what he could do to repay his friend's kindness.

"Renji..." he simply asks, "is your sister's offer to let me take some flowers from your garden still up?"

- - -

Reminded of how hard Renji worked to make a great artistic work, Yukimura picks up some flowers from the other youth's garden. He's careful to choose them well, taking his time to examinate the "candidates"...

When he's back, he's bringing some purple lilies and pink carnations, along with two white chrystantemums. Coincidentally, it was thanks to him that the African lillies were a part of the Yanagi garden, having told Renji's sister some time ago that they could be a good addition to the flower patch she mantained there. And considering how the older girl was smiling when she allowed him to cut some of these flowers, he is sure she still remembered it.

As he enters, Renji looks at him and it seems he's gonna say something, but Yukimura quickly intervenes. "Let me handle this, I know what I'm doing."

Thankfully, Renji understands and decides to trust him. After carefully placing the calligraphy set aside so the paper gift doesn't get wet, Yukimura starts his own work, recalling the grace and focus that Renji had just showed. Lilies, leaves, carnations, chrystantemums, pins... All of it will be put to good use. Not even a single drop of water will be wasted, if Yukimura Seiichi is going to live up to both his own expectations and his wish to not owe Yanagi Renji anything if he could help it.

He looks proud when he's done, and a simple yet clean and nice-looking Ikebana arrangement (of the upright Moribana type, exuding stability and beauty) is now on Renji's desk. The lillies are the principal flowers in it; the pure, almost immaculate white make them impossible to miss.

"I don't like owing anybody anything," Yukimura says. "You just gave me something beautiful, I'll give you something equally pleasing in return. Those are my pure, unadultered intentions and you know that well"

When Renji smiles openly at him, Yukimura knows he has raken the right choice.

- - -

Renji's older sister goes back to her room as soon as they were done with dinner, claiming she's tired after tending to her garden and telling both boys to behave. Renji's parents are out, enjoying a nice stay in an onsen to celebrate their wedding anniversary; they're not expected to come back until the next morning...

Since Yukimura is staying over, it's fine to him. When he comes into Renji's bedroom after having a bath, clad in the pj's he has brought, he sees Renji sitting on one of the two futons placed on the floor and reading a book on Ukiyo-e. The calligraphy sheet and the ikebana arrangement are placed on the desk.

"The floating world, eh...," he says and sits down on the futon that the other boy got ready for him. Renji stares at him before nodding.

"The floating world where merchants and artists could be free, not bound by the samurai class's restrictions", he tells the other, closing his book. "That's where the name came from, after all."

"It sounds almost like something so far away," Yukimura chuckles, leaning a bit closer to Renji. "Hard to believe few centuries have passed since it was a prime subject. But it's still in our collective subconscious, it seems."

He's amused when he looks up and sees Renji is slightly confused. "It doesn't sound like me, does it? More like something Yagyuu or Inui would say."

"Hearing you speak about the past is not very common," Renji admits with a soft smile. "You always prefer to look into the present and the future, after all."

"True, Renji. And this doesn't seem something it'd suit as a bedtime story, anyway..."

After saying this, Yukimura leans more against Renji's shoulder. The other youth leaves the book on the floor and next to his bedside, quietly wrapping an arm around Yukimura's waist. They had stayed like this before once or twice, during Yukimura's hospital days; now that Yukimura has been out of the hospital for several weeks, only returning for the mandatory check-ups, it feels more natural for them to just stay this way, quietly enjoying each other's company.

"Seiichi..."

"Hm?"

Yukimura looks up, only to have Renji leaning closer and pressing their lips together in a gentle kiss. One that's also very brief, since few seconds after that, Renji pulls away to look at him in the eye.

"I'm glad you appreciated my gift," he tells his friend. "And I appreciate yours as well."

Yukimura reaches for Renji's free hand, squeezing it lightly. "I knew you would."

---

NOTES:

-Kakemono: Traditional Japanese scroll paintings.

-Ikebana: Japanese art relative to flower arranging. The Moribana style is one of the most popular, since it allows to use Western flowers and gives some more room for creativity.

-Onsen: Japanese hot springs.


End file.
